Side guide construction for sheet metal uncoilers



Dec. 23,1952 R. T. TODD 2,622,655

SIDE GUIDE CONSTRUCTION FOR SHEET: METAL UNCOILERS Filed Jan. 17, 1948 2 SHEETS-SHEET l RUSSELL T. TODD Dec. 23, 1952 TODD 2,622,655

SIDE GUIDE CONSTRUCTION FOR SHEET METAL UNCOILERS Filed Jan. 17, 1948 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 awe/Wm RUSSELL T. TODD P w? W Patented Dec. 23, 1952 SIDE GUIDE CONSTRUCTION FOR SHEET METAL UNCOILERS Russell T. Todd, Youngstown, Ohio, assignor to The McKay Machine Company, Youngstown, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application January 17, 1948, Serial No. 2,846

6 Claims.

This invention relates to sheet metal uncoilers and more particularly to an improved construction for guiding the side edges of the strip as it is contained in the coil of strip being uncoiled and as it leaves the coil during the uncoiling operation. For uncoiling metal strip, particularly in such manner as to avoid the occurrence in. the strip of minute fissures or coil breaks there has heretofore been developed a widelyused type of uncoiler in which the coil strip is mounted on a rotating mandrel and in which a small-diametered working roll is brought into pressure engagement with the outer periphery of the coil and over which roll the strip is bent as it leaves the outer convolution of the coil. In this type of machine the rotating coil is, of course, tightly gripped between the mandrel and the working or pressure roll and as the coil rotates successive increments of the respective convolutions of the coil are moved into and out of the clamping area between the mandrel and the pressure roll. The effect of the resultant weaving of the convolutions of the coil is to accentuate the tendency of any convolution of the coil to shift axially of the coil and, of course, as any portion of such shifted convolutions moves into the clamping zone the side edges thereof may be bent and torn, thereby damaging the stock being uncoiled. It is the primary object of the present invention to provide an improved side guide construction for sheet metal uncoilers of the pressure roll type wherein the tendency of any axially shifted convolution of a coil being damaged by side guides employed will be minimized and wherein the condition of the coil as regards the alignment of the side edges may be better maintained during the uncoiling operation.

The above general object is accomplished, in accordance with this invention, primarily by employing a pair of side guides which may be moved inwardly from spaced, retracted positions to pre-determined inward positions in yielding pressure engagement with the side edges of the coil. If during the uncoiling operation and the consequent working and loosening of the coil by the pressure roll any ofthe convolutions of the coil tend to shift axially the yielding nature of the side guides will permit such shifting without damage to the side edges of the strip. Further, the apparatus includes means whereby the pressure exerted by the pressure roll on the coil strip may be momentarily released whereby the continuing yielding pressure exerted by the displaced side guides may be exploited to realign 2 the side edges of the respective convolutions of the strip as will be understood.

The above and other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon consideration of the following detailed specification and the accompanying drawing wherein there is disclosed the preferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a metal strip uncoiler employing a side guide assembly constructed in accordance with the principles of my invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevation'of the apparatus of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line III-III of Figure 1; and

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line IV--IV of Figure 1.

Referring to the drawing in detail, reference numerals l0 and II designate generally the two side housings of the frame of the uncoiler and interconnecting the top ends of the housings l0 and II is a cross beam [2. Housing II is formed with a window l3 to allow passage of a rotatable mandrel M which can slide into and out of the space between the housings I0 and II to allow the loading of the coil of strip. Mandrel i4 is carried by a cantilevered shaft i5 which is journaled in a suitable sliding support, not shown. Immediately above the position occupied by the mandrel l4 when in operative position is an arbor l6 which is slideably mounted for vertical movement in suitable ways I! formed in the housings l0 and II. A cylinder [8 is mounted on the beam l2 and has its piston rod l9 connected with the arbor 16 whereby the latter may be raised and lowered and have pressure applied through it in a downward direction. Arbor l6 carries a backing roll 20 and a smaller diametered working or pressure roll 2| adapted to be brought into pressure engagement with the periphery of a coil of strip mounted on the mandrel l4. Uncoilers of the kind illustrated commonly are provided with one or more pairs of pull-out rolls and a number of leveling rolls and by referring to Figure 2 it will be noted that two such pairs of pull-out rolls are shown as being journaled in bearing blocks 22 suitably mounted in windows formed in the housings ID and H, while a plurality of leveling rolls are shown as being journaled in blocks 23 and 24 housed in other windows formed in the housings I0 and H. As the strip comes oif the coil it bends sharply about the small-diametered roll 2| before entering the 3 pull-out rolls and it leaves the machine through the leveling rolls.

Slideably mounted in suitable bushings extending through the housings l8 and I are rods and 26 of which there are two in each housing. Carried by the inner ends of the slide rods 25 and 26 are four side guide segments 21 which encircle about the mandrel H in the manner shown in Figure 2. Each of the segments 2'! is carried by one of the rods 25 and by one of the rods 26 so that upon inward and outward sliding movement of the rods the inner face of the segments will be held true in a vertical plane. Each of the rods 26 are formed with a rack 28 arranged to mesh with a gear 29. Two of such gears are keyed to a single shaft 38 which is journaled on the left housing ll] of the machine and the other two of such gears are keyed to a shaft 3| which is journaled on the right housing ll of the machine. It willbe obvious that by reason of the interconnections provided by the shafts 30 and 3| the left two guide segments 27 will move inwardly and outwardly in unison and, ofv course, the two guidesegments on the opposite side, of the machine will move likewise.

Slideably mounted on the housings Ill and II, respectively, are the racks 32 and 33, respectively, and the, rack 32 meshes with a gear 34 which is keyed onto thelshaft '38 while the rack 33 meshes with the gear 35 which is keyed onto theshaft 3 I. It will be obvious that upon downward movement of the racks 32 and 33 the two side guide assemblies of the apparatus will be moved inwardly toward each other into engagement with the sides of a coil strip supported'on the mandrel l4. a To reciprocate the racks 3'2 and 33 whereby the side guide assemblies may be moved inwardly and outwardly and to apply a "yielding inward pressure to the side guide assemblies, I preferably emplqy air cylinders which are operatively connected with the racks and since both these cylinders are identical, but one will be described indetail herein.

Mounted on the outer face of the housing In is, a double -acting air cylinder 36 having an elongated piston rod 31 extending outwardly of either end of the, cylinders 36 and suitably connected at its lowerend with the rack 32. The upper end of piston rod 31 extends upwardly through'a, threaded'sleeve 38 which is slideably mounted in a housing 39securedto the housing vH), and secured on the upper end of the housing 38 is a housing for a worm wheel 40 which is internally threaded complementary to the exterior threads formed on the sleeve 38. Sleeve 38 is prevented from turning about its longitudinal. axis by means of a set screw 4|, the tip of which rides ina longitudinal groove 42 formed in theside wall of the sleeve 38. To rotate the worm wheel 40 whereby the sleeve 38 may be raised or lowered I provide a meshing worm 43 arranged to be driven by a motor 44 through a downwardly into contact with a hardened steel collar '41 which is secured to the upper end of sleeve 38. The extent of inward movement of thesideguides 2T will, of course} be determined by the vertical positions of the sleeves 38 when air is applied to the upper ends of the cylinders 36. Assuming the pistons in the cylinders 36 to be at the upper ends of the strokes whereby the guides 2'? are spaced full outwardly, the admission of air under pressure to the upper ends of the cylinders 36 will move the pistons contained therein downwardly to rotate the shafts 38 and 3|, in such directions as to move the guides inwardly. During this action the piston rods 31 will simply slide through the sleeves 33 until the stock collars 46 engage the collars 47 on the upper ends of the sleeves 38 after which inward movement of the side guides will cease. However, outward movement of the side guides is but yieldingly opposed by the fluid pressure existent in the cylinders 36 so that during an uncoiling operation the side guides will yield before any axially creeping convolutions of the coil being retained. This feature is advantageous in reducing damage to the side edges of the stock as will be understood, and to further utilize the yielding pressures provided I preferablyprovide, in the machine, an arrangement for rapidly releasing and re-applying the radial clamping force applied to the coil whereby during such momentary releasing of the coil the yieldin pressures will act to realign the side edges of the coil.

As explained above, the means for raising and lowering the pressure roll 2| and for exerting force therethrough comprises the cylinder I8 which is mounted on the transverse beam l2. Air pressure is preferably used to actuate the cylinder I8 and I provide a readily accessible manually-controlled four-way valve '48 for admitting air under pressure to either end of the cylinder I 8 from a suitable source of air comprising conduit '49. During normal operation the valve 48 will be actuated to maintain air pressure in the upper end of the cylinder |8 whereby the roll 2| is maintained in pressure contact with the periphery of the coil being uncoiled. Periodically, or as often as required, the valve 48 may be actuated manually to reverse the direction 'of air 'flow to the cylinder l8 whereby the roll 2| is lifted from the coil of strip, thus allowing the coil to loosen whereby the downward pressure exerted by the air in the cylinders 36 will move the side guides 21 inwardly to re-align the side edges of the coil. Since the pressure on the side guides is continuously applied the re-aligriing action is consequently accomplished and in most cases'it is only -necessaryto release the pressure exerted by the roll 2| for a very short period of time.

To condition certain coils preparatory to the uncoiling thereof and to re-align particularly obstinate coils during the uncoiling operation it may be desirable to impart successive inward and outward movements to the side'guides 2! whereby a hammering effect is attained. This is accomplished through the use of a second manually-controlled four-way valve 50 which is positioned adjacent the valve 48 and which is operative to direct air'pressure from the source 49 to either end of the cylinders 36. Upon the valve 50 .being-actuated-in one direction air is admitted to the upper ends of cylinders 36 while the lower ends thereof are connected to exhaust while upon the valve 50 being actuated in the opposite direction the direction of air flow to the cylinders 36 is reversed. After a coil has been loaded on the mandrel I4 and before or during the actual uncoiling, an'operator may,

through suitable manipulation of the valves 48 and 50, maintain the 'coil in good condition in substantially all cases.

The side guides 21 are also employed to center the coil in the machine and to assist in this operation each of the two side guide assemblies is provided with an indicator 5| which co-acts with a scale 52 mounted transversely of [the machine on a cross beam 53. By referring to Figure 3 it will be noted that the beam 53 is of conventional I-beam section and mounted on the lower flanges thereof is a track 54 mounting a pair of dollies 55. One of these dollies supports the left side guide, in depending relation, while the other of the dollies supports the right side guide assembly. Also as shown in Figures 1 and 3, it will be obvious that the indicators 5| are carried by the dollies 55 so that upon the side guides .21 moving inwardly and outwardly the indicators 5| will be correspondingly moved along the scale 52.

It should now be apparent that I have provided an improved side guide arrangement for metal strip uncoiling machines which accomplishes the objects initially set out. The invention provides simple yet effective means for centering the coil in the machine, for yieldingly restraining axial shifting of the respective convolutions of the coil, for conditioning the coil preparatory to its uncoiling, and for realigning the side edges of the coil during the uncoiling operation. Further, these functions may be accomplished through the use of relatively simple controlsvalves, for example which may readily be mounted on the control pulpit normally employed in connection with uncoiling machines. In this connection it should also be obvious that the means for controlling the actuation of the motors 44 which determine the innermost positions of the side guides may also be mounted on the control pulpit.

It should be understood that the fluid employed in the cylinders 36 is preferably air since the elastic and compressible nature of air is well-suited for the purpose of yieldingly maintaining the racks 32 and 33 in lower adjusted positions. Further, by varying the pressure of the air admitted to the cylinders 35 the inward force exerted by the side guides can readily be varied to compensate for different thicknesses of metal being uncoiled. I may, for example, position an adjustable pressure regulator in the air supply conduit leading to the upper ends of the cylinders 36 and a lighter air pressure may be employed for thin stock while the heavy pressure is used for heavy gauge stock. The use of this arrangement is highly advantageous in preventing the bending or peening of the side edges of the strip being uncoiled while yet affording a minimum degree of alignment restorative force to the side guides.

The above specifically described embodiment of the invention should be considered as illustrative only as obviously many changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Reference should therefore be had to the appended claims in determining the scope of the invention.

Iclaim:

1. In a metal strip uncoiler having a coil supporting mandrel and a small-diametered roll adapted to be brought into pressure engagement with the periphery of the coil and over which the strip moves as it leaves the coil, the combination of means to move said roll radially outward of said mandrel whereby said roll may be disengaged from said coil, a pair of movable side guides for engaging opposite sides of a coil of strip supportedon said mandrel, means to move said side guides toward and away from each other including means applying a. yielding force to each of said-side guides in an inward direction tending to close said guides onto said coil, and adjustable means to limit the extent of inward movement of each of said side guides.

2. In a metal strip uncoiler having a coil supporting mandrel and a small-diametered roll adapted to be brought into pressure engagement with the periphery of the coil and over which the strip moves as it leaves the coil, the combination of means to move said roll radially outward of said mandrel whereby said roll may be disengaged from said coil, 9. pair of movable side guides for engaging opposite sides of a coil of strip supported on said mandrel, means mounting said side guides for inward and outward movement toward and away from each other, and moving means for each of said side guides comprising a double-acting air cylinder having a piston connected to the side guide, the arrangement being such that said side guides may have yielding movement in an outward direction against the resilient force exerted by said cylinders upon being forcibly engaged by convolutions of the coil, valve means to admit fluid pressure to either end of said cylinder selectively, and adjustable means to limit the movement of said piston in one direction whereby the limit of inward movement of the side guide may be controlled.

3. In a metal strip uncoiler having a pair of spaced side frames for supporting a longitudinally movable mandrel for receiving a coil of strip, the combination of a plurality of supports slidably received in each of said side frames for movement parallel with the longitudinal axis of said mandrel, side guides carried by the inner end of said supports and encompassing said mandrel whereby the side guides may be moved into engagement with the side edges of the convolutions of the coil, means mounted on said side frames for moving said supports inwardly and outwardly and for yieldingly maintaining said guides in innermost position, and adjustable means to limit the extent of inward movement of each of said side guides.

4. Apparatus according to claim 3 further characterized in that said means to move said supports comprises a double-acting cylinder carried by each of said side frames in vertical relation therewith, a piston rod for each cylinder and extending vertically therethrough, means connecting the lower end of each piston rod with the adjacent supports whereby upon downward movement of said piston rods said supports will be moved inwardly, said adjustable means comprising means on the upper end portions of said piston rods to limit the downward actuation of the pistons in said cylinders.

5. In a metal strip uncoiler having means to retain a coil of strip and a pair of side frames each movably mounting a side guide for movement into and out of engagement with the side edges of the convolutions of the coil of strip, the combination of means to move each of said side guides comprising a double-acting cylinder mounted on the side frame, a piston in said cyl-' inder, a piston rod extending through said cylinder, means connecting one end of said rod with the side guide, a sleeve slidably receiving an intermediate portion of the other end portion of said rod. means to adjust the longitudinal position of said sleeve,- and a collar on the extreme end of saidtother end portion of said rod adaptedto engage. the outer end of'said-sleeve to adjustably limit the movement of said rod inthe direction tending to move the connected side guide inwardly.

6. In. ametal strip uncoiler having a mandrel to receive a coil of strip and a pressure roll adapted to have pressure engagement with the periphery of the coil of strip and about which thestrip bends as itleaves the coil,,the combination of means to move said pressure roll toward and away from said coil of strip, a pair ofv side guides for engaging opposite sides ofthe coil of strip,- means to move said side guides toward and away from eachother, said meansto move-including means to apply a.yielding force to each of said side guides tendingto closesaid guides onto said coil, adjustablemeans to limit theextent of inward movement of each of said side guides, a first control means for said means to move said pressure roll, a second'control means for said means to move said side guides, said first and second control means being mounted in juxtaposition whereby an operator may simultaneously control both said means to move.

RUSSELL T. TODD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

